Yorkshire music blog

In conversation with…Ormstons

A couple of weeks ago we had the pleasure of seeing Yorkshire based band ørmstons open up for the brilliant Elephant Trees at The Wardrobe in Leeds. The first time the guys were playing the venue must have been daunting but it was a near perfect set (we’ll excuse the sit down jump up effort) delivered with both power and prowess. Jess, Bob, Josh and Nathan looked like they’d been doing their thing for years and seemed so comfortable on the famous Wardrobe stage. It was enthusiastic, energetic and so controlled I was amazed at what I was watching from a band so young. Before they took to the stage the band took time to speak to me about their band and what 2017 has, and definitely doesn’t have, in store.

Interview with Ormstons

Jess (Vocals); Bob (Guitar); Nathan (Drums); Josh (Bass)

So, tonight, how does it feel to be playing The Wardrobe

Jess: Oh my god I’m crapping myself. Like we’ve played to a big audience but the fact loads of them are there for us is like aahh. Ive seen some of my favourite bands here so it’s really weird

Josh: Yeah like you look at it and go, I’ve played here.

How would you describe your sound?

Josh: I think, in my opinion it’s indie rock, it’s hard indie rock

Jess: There’s more rocky elements than indie though. It’s a bit like all over.

Bob: I’d just say that, because I come at it from a guitar point of view. With indie in general it’s an interesting way of playing guitar, so I’d just say fun really. So we’re good, fun. Indie, heavy, jangly, guitar, bass, drums, singing aahhh.

Nathan: It’s all been said really, we’re good.

One band each that’s influenced your sound?

Nathan: I listen to a lot of Avenged Sevenfold. Not really sure, my songs go from heavy to quiet. They [the band] just tell me what to do really haha.

Bob – For me my influences range from like Foo Fighters to like Abba. I love 70s disco, indie nowadays, I always wanted to listen to everything and not discount anything and indie is a genre where you can just be whoever you want and aren’t pressured to be anything.

Jess – Catfish and the Bottlemen. I would love to be a female Van McCann.

It must have been good to support Billy Bibby then?

Jess – Oh my God it was so embarrassing, one of the members came up to me and I didn’t know they were in the band and they asked who my favourite band was and I was like [loudly] Catfish and I was like bollocks when I found out.

How was the Leeds scene growing up then, who are you into?

Josh – Neon Dolls are good they are great. Edgar Duke?

Bob – Yeah the lead singer goes to my college and I’m like oh my god it’s Edgar Duke guy…you don’t know who I am. Some sections of indie [in Leeds] are really growing, everyone wants something they know but a bit different so it’s indie but different which is cool.

Josh – Conflare, first time I saw them was The Key Club so it’s weird playing with them now. We’ve come a long way since you guys played the Packhorse. The indie scene is really growing.

Jess – Obviously like The Elephant Trees as well.

What the plan for 2017?

Josh – We’re doing a single soon and getting that out to everyone. I don’t think an EP yet. We have lots of gigs lined up. Centre stage for Leeds Fest and that but as a band you need to be nationwide so we just want to get out.

Jess – Yeah we’re doing it in sections really. Suckerpunch is gonna be great. In May we’re trying to plan a support tour, we’re not big enough to headline yet really. I really wanna go Manchester.

Bob – If were not practicing we’re writing so we have plenty of tracks ready to go. It’s like parents having a new kids it gets better each time really. Are we doing [name of gig]?. [Looks of horror] I didn’t know I wasn’t allowed to say that.

If you could change one thing about the industry?

Jess – People actually pay for original music. The thing is like, we’re skint like we have what 30 quid because we don’t get paid, but say we were a cover band we’d get like 300 quid easily it’s just so fucked up.

Bob – It’s just old music and back in the day it was so much better because people went to listen to new bands

Josh – Back in the 80s nothing had been really written. Compare it with scientific discoveries; if you compare it to scientific discoveries [I’ve got a good ten minutes of talking here], Einstein was an amazing scientist but it’s because nothing had been discovered and it’s like that with music. Everyone goes, that sounds like this song now.

Bob – Yeah like you could argue a lot of guitarists today are better than George Harrison, but because he was as good as he was in the Beatles he was revolutionary and now it’s harder and harder to do something different and stand out. You’re always this with this not just you. The way people consume music, you can put the same band and repeat over and over again because people like what they know.

Jess – Nobody wants anything fresh now. At the supermarket you want the potatoes that are the freshest. [Bob: You still want the potatoes not the dragonfruit though]. Yeah but you want the fresh potatoes, music is potatoes, but people want the old music.

Bob – No music is fruit, Einstein invented guitar, when Einsteins EP dropped..I’m dropping my new album E=MC2. [Josh left at this point]

Jess: I swear we’re not this strange.

Josh: We are

Is it hard for a band to be unique nowadays?

Bob: We’ve had moments where like, it needs to be more indie and me and him [Nathan] have been like what’s indie.

Josh: Me and Jess made a playlist of all the indie songs and told them to listen. 60 Song playlist, seven hours later they were like “we don’t like it”.

Bob: It’s good though like even though we don’t listen to the same stuff when we write it all mixes well

Are you critical of each other?

Jess: Yeah it normally starts with Bob saying oh my god I really like this riff, and we’re like nah Bob it’s shite.

Nathan: To be honest I’m just there,doing nothing, then they’re like here’s a song, write the drums.

What is your spin what makes you unique.

Bob/Jess: I think were a bit more grungier. Some people say because of the guitar tones I use it’s like Nirvana. Jess likes the way I play but doesn’t like Nirvana..no I don’t..we wont start on your singing…

If you could be in any movie who would you be?

Nathan: Lego movie, you could just make anything. I’d be Batman and just come in and steal the show

Bob: Starlord in Guardians of the Galaxy

Jess: I wanna be Luna in Harry Potter

Josh: Don’t really have a film so no comment on the question. Pirates of the Caribbean if anything.

Who would you definitely never want want to tour with?

Bob: _________, they’re so far up their own arse, you can’t even see them they’re just arses.

Nathan: It’d be really daunting to tour with a big band, you’d be expected to be good supporting them.

Jess: _________[Once again this band was mentioned for the third time this year so far]. Also __________ I actually took my book and read through them

Thanks guys for such a great interview, so much I could have written but this gives a lovely flavour how awesome this band are – catch them at Sucker Punch Festival on April 8th, tickets available here –> http://suckerpunchfestival.bigcartel.com/